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SINGAPORE: Outside the Bo’xing Experimental Primary School in Binzhou, a prefecture-level city in China’s northern Shandong Province, Huang, a 50-year-old, is ferrying his eight-year-old grandson to school in his “laotoule”.

Huang's electric four-wheel ride, which translates to happy grandpa or old man's joy in Chinese, closely resembles a golf cart.

His main reasons for using it are convenience and affordability.

“Parking large vehicles here is a nightmare,” he told CNA in a call. “We need this type of vehicle. Think about it - a regular car is so much harder to park and in the space where you can fit three or five cars, you could park 10 laotoule vehicles.” 

Weather is also a factor, he adds, especially in a city currently as cold as Binzhou where daily temperatures have dropped to 2 degrees Celsius.

“You can use an electric bike or bicycle during summer but that’s just not feasible in winter,” Huang said. 

Like him, many parents and grandparents in Binzhou also rely on laotoule vehicles to see their children off to school. 

It’s a scene that’s become ubiquitous in rural towns and smaller cities across China - except the situation in Binzhou stands in stark contrast to urban centers elsewhere, where various makeshift electric vehicles are strictly banned.

Cities like Beijing and Shanghai as well as others in provinces like Jiangxi, Hebei, Jiangsu and Anhui have implemented varying measures to ban or restrict the use of senior-friendly vehicles.

However it is challenging to establish a uniform policy nationwide, analysts say, due to differing levels of public transport development and population density.

JOY FOR THE ELDERLY 

Laotoule vehicles started appearing on roads in China in the early 2000s and are one of the most popular forms of transport for seniors today - with more than 10 million stockpiles as of 2020, according to industry figures.

Priced between 2,000 yuan (US$276) and 22,000 yuan, they are much cheaper than conventional cars and vans and are easy to park and drive. 

They also do not require vehicle licenses or registration and are not subject to traffic rules and regulations which apply to most conventional motorised vehicles - adding to their popularity. 

But their presence is controversial. 

Accidents are alarmingly frequent and their unregulated use has led to recent widespread bans in several major Chinese cities.

Nearly 20,000 deaths due to low-speed electric vehicle incidents were reported by authorities nationwide between 2012 and 2016, 

Following more than 100 fatalities recorded in 2022, laotoule vehicles were banned in Beijing at the start of the year, no longer being allowed on roads or parked in public spaces. 

Laotoule accidents in other Chinese cities and provinces have continued. 

An accident in late November was reported in Ganzhou city in the southeast Jiangxi Province, which saw an elderly laotoule driver racing recklessly against traffic and injuring another electric vehicle rider.

It sparked a city-wide crackdown, leading to over 2,000 laotoule vehicles being seized and hundreds phased out.

In Sichuan, where authorities have allowed only registered and licensed laotoule on the road, a tragic accident occurred on a major expressway on Oct 12. A 74-year-old man drove his laotoule against traffic in the overtaking lane, resulting in a fatal collision that claimed two lives.

Many laotoule drivers generally operate without proper licenses and were “less likely to comply” with traffic rules, which creates greater safety risks, said urban public transportation consultant Wang Yuanyuan, also general manager of the Shanghai-based Easy Traffic Consulting firm.

“These vehicles often fail to meet automotive safety standards, such as structural integrity and occupant protection (and) in the event of an accident, these shortcomings can result in more severe casualties,” Wang said, pointing out that poor battery quality and inadequate charging facilities could also lead to fire hazards.

“Furthermore, insurance systems are not well established, making it difficult to handle the aftermath of accidents.”

Zhang Xiang, director of the Digital Automotive International Cooperation Research Center at the World Digital Economy Forum, echoed these concerns. “Without licenses, many drivers simply ignore traffic rules,” he said.

“If drivers commit violations and flee, it’s hard to penalise them. They disrupt traffic order and affect road safety.”

Zhang noted that laotoule sales had been “on the decline” after vehicles were banned in Beijing earlier this year. “Nowadays many places are regulating these kinds of vehicles unlike in the past, when they operated in a grey area,” he said.

While drivers like Huang have acknowledged safety concerns about their vehicles, giving them up was not an option because they were still a cheap and convenient way of getting around.

“From a safety perspective, it’s understandable to want these vehicles registered and insured but in some cases, it’s just not possible,” Huang said.

NOT A ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL SITUATION

But tackling the issue will not be as straightforward as introducing a complete ban, experts say, especially not in a country as large as China, with more than 1,700 county-level cities and counties making regulations between cities much more complicated.

“China's policymaking in urban transportation reflects a complex balance of interests,” Wang said.

“While public opinion can influence directions, decisions are often top-down, prioritising public welfare, safety, and social stability. The persistence of banned vehicles underscores the challenges of addressing demand and enforcing policies effectively in a rapidly changing landscape.”

Transport expert Raymond Ong Ghim Ping, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore, told CNA that China’s sheer geographic size, population diversity, economic differences and varied urbanisation levels would make uniform policies challenging. 

First-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai also require different approaches than second and third-tier cities, he said. 

“China’s roads are divided into high-speed and low-speed sections”, Dr Ong said. “All of these factors can increase the chances of accidents and that’s why it becomes very apparent in denser cities.”

Beijing, Shanghai and various cities across Jiangsu province have taken tougher approaches on the senior-friendly vehicles.

Cities in other provinces like Anhui and Shandong have chosen to adopt more flexible approaches like prohibiting new sales or requiring proper licensing and insurance.

Following public awareness campaigns, demand for driving tests surged there, with slots fully booked until late December, as reported by local media Qiluwanbao.

Anhui authorities have tightened rules for laotoule drivers, requiring them to wear helmets and strictly adhere to traffic rules.

“Cities without major incidents might not clamp down as hard, meaning drivers can continue as before until a serious event prompts stricter measures,” Wang said, adding that “reactive policy making was fairly common” in China and often prompted by localised incidents. 

Guo Baoyu, owner of a three-wheeled Shenghao-brand laotoule in Jinan, welcomed new measures and said they offered drivers like her a newfound sense of security and convenience. 

“Safety is always my priority,” she said, adding that she often chooses roads with fewer heavy vehicles and limits her travel distance to around 40km from home so she can commute and drop her child off at daycare easily. 

IMPROVED PUBLIC TRANSPORT AS AN ALTERNATIVE? 

Despite vehicle bans and crackdowns, transport experts do not believe laotoules will disappear from China’s roads in the near future.

Zhang of the World Digital Economy Forum predicts that electric vehicles (EVs) will eventually replace laotoule, especially in cities where production numbers have ceased. 

“After laotoules are phased out, what will replace them will be small, micro-sized electric cars,” Zhang said. 

Such vehicles would be a cheaper and better option for seniors, priced affordably between 20,000 and 30,000 yuan, and would come with air-conditioning and proper braking systems, offering better safety standards and comfort. 

"They are legal and better. They will replace laotoule vehicles,” he said. 

But solving the issue will take time, experts say, especially because they are still popular among seniors.  

Alternatives like improving public transport systems like buses, trolleybuses and trains, or providing options like shared bikes will be critical, they add. 

Public transport is much more convenient in urban areas, Zhang said. “There are more metro lines and buses available (in these areas) so people give up their laotoules which used to be a more useful mode of transportation (for them) when commuting was less convenient.” 

Wang the consultant noted that seniors living in bigger Chinese cities would often enjoy free or discounted fares when travelling on public transport. “However, the flexibility and spatial coverage of public transit still lags behind what laotoule vehicles can offer,” he said. 

“With advancements in information technology, on-demand bus services might become a solution, though older adults may face challenges using digital platforms.” 

For laotoule drivers like Huang, their vehicles are still a necessity needed to ferry around their grandchildren and run errands for the day. 

With hundreds of laotoule still crowding the streets and pavements of Binzhou, it seems unlikely that a full ban will be implemented anytime soon. 

And for now, he will take a pragmatic approach. “Let’s think about it when it starts,” he said.